SoilUse
and Management
doi: 10.1111/sum.12304
Soil Use and Management
Effects of spent mushroom substrates and inorganic
fertilizer on the characteristics of a calcareous clayey-loam
soil and lettuce production
C. P A R E D E S , E. M E D I N A , M. A. B U S T A M A N T E & R. M O R A L
Department of Agrochemistry and Environment, Miguel Hernandez University, EPS-Orihuela, ctra. Beniel Km 3.2, 03312 Orihuela
(Alicante), Spain
Abstract
We evaluated the effects of the addition of two types of spent mushroom substrate (SMS), SMS from
an Agaricus bisporus crop (SMS1) and a mixture of SMSs from an A. bisporus crop and a Pleurotus
crop (50% v/v each) (SMS2), on the characteristics of a calcareous clayey-loam soil and the yield and
nutritional status of lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.), relative to crops receiving mineral fertilizer (M) and a
control (C) without amendment. The application of SMS, especially SMS1, improved soil fertility
compared with C and M soils. Moreover, the use of these organic substrates as soil amendments did
not harm the plants and gave yields similar to that obtained with mineral fertilizer. The nutritional
contents of the lettuce plants were greater than or similar to those of the plants from treatment C or
M, except for the plant tissue concentrations of K, Fe and Zn, which were significantly reduced by
SMS application. However, this latter fact did not reduce the lettuce yield in the amended soils.
Therefore, the use of SMSs as organic amendments contributes to residue utilization, in an
environmentally friendly way, and to improved soil fertility and crop yield.
Keywords: Soil physicochemical properties, salinity, available macroelements, plant yield, plant
nutritional status
Introduction
A large percentage of Mediterranean soils are not very
fertile. They are often characterized by shallow soil profiles,
small nutrient content, poor water holding capacity and
contain little organic matter (<1%) (Aranda & Oyonarte,
2006). The use of organic amendments provides a feasible
option for improving soil fertility and quality. The
incorporation of different organic materials into soils, such
as animal manure (Bayu et al., 2004), sewage sludge (Singh
& Agrawal, 2008), crop residues (Verhulst et al., 2011) or
composts (Paredes et al., 2005; Chalkos et al., 2010), has
been shown to be a useful method to increase soil fertility,
through their capacity to provide nutrients, increase the
cation exchange capacity (CEC), improve soil water holding
capacity and infiltration and decrease bulk density.
In 2013, the edible mushroom industry had a global
production of approximately 10 million tonnes of
mushrooms in 2013, with Spain being the sixth largest
Correspondence: C. Paredes. E-mail: c.paredes@umh.es
Received April 2015; accepted after revision September 2016
© 2016 British Society of Soil Science
producer in the world (149 700 tonnes of mushrooms), after
China, Italy, USA, the Netherlands and Poland (Food and
Agriculture Organisation, 2013). For the production of each
kilogram of mushrooms, 5 kg of spent mushroom substrates
(SMSs) are produced (Williams et al., 2001). Consequently,
in Castilla-La Mancha and La Rioja alone, the main
mushroom-producing regions of Spain, approximately
750 000 tonnes of SMSs were generated in 2013. In Spain,
the mushroom industry produces two main types of SMS,
one derived from Agaricus bisporus and the other from
Pleurotus. The SMS from A. bisporus crops is composed of a
composted mixture of cereal straw and manure (poultry or
horse manure or pig slurry), calcium sulphate, soil and
residues of inorganic nutrients and pesticides. The SMS from
Pleurotus crops contains fermented cereal straw and residues
of inorganic nutrients and pesticides (Paredes et al., 2006).
As an alternative to their disposal as waste, SMSs can be
used in soil and water bioremediation (Lau et al., 2003; Law
et al., 2003), in pest control for different crops (Wang &
Huang, 2000) and as livestock feed (Kwak et al., 2009),
energy feedstocks (Williams et al., 2001), growing media
(Segarra et al., 2007; Medina et al., 2009) and organic
1
2 C. Paredes et al.
amendments (Rynker, 2004). However, most of these uses
are generally not viable, economically, and are unable to
solve completely the problem of these residues; only
agricultural use is an economically and ecologically
acceptable way to dispose of these materials from the edible
mushroom industry.
The effects of SMSs on crop production and soil
properties have been little studied. Maher (1994) observed
that their addition to soil raised the P, K and Mg levels.
The same author also found a positive response of ryegrass
growth up to an application rate equivalent to 50 t/ha.
Jordan et al. (2008) reported that the addition of SMS to
metalliferous tailings improved the structural and chemical
status of the tailings and increased the biomass yield of
Lolium perenne L. on a short-term basis. The application of
SMS to a sandy vineyard soil during a long-term
experiment (28 yr) increased soil organic carbon and
mineral N, P and K, as well as improving the soil moisture
content at field capacity and bulk density (Morlat &
Chaussod, 2008). In an experiment with lettuce (Lactuca
sativa L.), using a soil-based potting medium with different
SMS rates, Ribas et al. (2009) observed that the smaller
rates (5 and 10% on a dry weight basis) resulted in greater
aboveground biomass dry weights than the larger rates (25
and 40% on a dry weight basis) or treatments receiving
NPK mineral fertilizer application or the control
(unamended) soil. Courtney et al. (2009) found that the
addition of SMS to mine residues increased the organic
matter content of these residues and improved their bulk
density, particle density and thus porosity.
Hence, based on these generalized reports, the objective of
this study was to assess the effect of the addition of SMSs
on the physicochemical properties of an agricultural,
calcareous, clayey-loam soil and the yield and nutritional
status of lettuce.
Materials and methods
Characteristics of the spent mushroom substrates
The SMSs used in this study were obtained from a
composting facility located in Quintanar del Rey (Cuenca,
Spain), which manages the organic wastes produced by the
mushroom industry of the autonomous region of Castilla-La
Mancha, one of the main mushroom-producing areas in
Spain. Two SMSs were used: one was from an Agaricus
bisporus crop (SMS1) and the other was a mixture, at 50%
(v/v) each, of SMSs from an A. bisporus crop and a
Pleurotus crop (SMS2). The SMS2 mixture was prepared to
increase the nitrogen content of the SMS from the Pleurotus
crop, so that a similar amount of amendment could be
applied for both organic treatments. The main
physicochemical properties of the SMSs used are shown in
Table 1.
© 2016 British Society of Soil Science, Soil Use and Management
Table 1 Physicochemical properties and chemical composition of the
spent mushroom substrates
Parametera
SMS1b
SMS2c
pH
Electrical conductivity (dS/m)
Total organic C (g/kg)
Total N (g/kg)
NHþ
4 -N (mg/kg)
NO
3 -N (mg/kg)
P (g/kg)
K (g/kg)
Ca (g/kg)
Mg (g/kg)
Na (g/kg)
Fe (mg/kg)
Cu (mg/kg)
Mn (mg/kg)
Zn (mg/kg)
7.98
7.47
273
22.2
327
81
6.80
26.2
89.3
4.81
2.97
4527
38
320
170
8.25
5.88
351
17.9
186
53
3.74
20.1
51.6
3.45
2.11
2586
22
185
91
a
Values on a dry matter basis. bSMS1: spent mushroom substrate –
Agaricus bisporus. cSMS2: mixture of spent mushroom substrate –
Agaricus bisporus and spent mushroom substrate – Pleurotus, 50%
(v/v) each.
Study site and soil sampling
A field experiment was conducted at the research station of
the Miguel Hernandez University (Orihuela-Alicante,
Southeast of Spain), (38°40 0″N, 0°580 0″W and elevation 24 m
a.s.l.). The climate of this region is semi-arid subtropical
Mediterranean, with an average annual precipitation of
271 mm and an average annual temperature of 17.9 °C
(MAGRAMA, 2015). The soil of this area is classified as a
Xerofluvent (Soil Survey Staff, 2014), with a clay-loam
texture, alkaline nature, little salinity and a small organic C
content. The main physicochemical properties of the soil are
shown in Table 2.
Four treatments, in a completely randomized design, with
three replicates per treatment, were set up in experimental
plots of 6 m2 each. The treatments were control without
amendment (C), mineral fertilizer (100, 22 and 208 kg/ha N,
P and K, respectively) (M), SMS1 (77 t/ha) and SMS2
(85 t/ha), both organic treatments providing 100 kg/ha of
N – adequate for the lettuce crop selected. The SMS
amendments were applied uniformly and incorporated
immediately to a soil depth of 30 cm, by light rototilling. The
unamended plots and those receiving inorganic fertilizer were
also tilled. The SMSs were applied to the soil 1 month prior to
planting, whereas the inorganic fertilizer was added on days 1,
15 and 60 of crop growth. Lettuce (var. Linus) seedlings of
uniform size were selected, and 36 were planted in each plot
(60 000 plants/ha). Three irrigations with tap water were
applied during the growing season (98 days), on days 28, 63
and 84. Herbicide, insecticide and fungicide were not applied.
Use of spent mushroom substrate as organic fertilizer
Table 2 Characteristics of the soil used in the experiment
Parametera
pH
Electrical conductivity (dS/m)
Sand (%)
Silt (%)
Clay (%)
Texture
Active CaCO3 (%)
Oxidizable organic C (g/kg)
Total Kjeldahl N (g/kg)
NHþ
4 -N (mg/kg)
NO
3 -N (mg/kg)
Available P (mg/kg)
Available K (g/kg)
Available Ca (g/kg)
Available Mg (g/kg)
Available Na (g/kg)
Available Fe (mg/kg)
Available Cu (mg/kg)
Available Mn (mg/kg)
Available Zn (mg/kg)
a
Value
8.3
0.23
26.2
37.2
36.6
Clay-loam
13.6
8.7
1.38
10.0
36.9
49
0.50
3.67
0.65
0.95
1.92
2.04
5.95
1.29
Values on a dry matter basis.
Topsoil samples were collected before planting and after
harvesting (S1 and S2, respectively). Composite soil samples
were obtained by mixing six subsamples, one from each of six
sites within each plot, taken at 0–25 cm depth. Each soil
sample was sieved to 2 mm, after the removal of vegetation
and bigger roots and stones, and air-dried before analysis.
Analytical methods
The pH and electrical conductivity (EC) of the soil samples
were measured in 1:2.5 and 1:5 soil:water (w/v) extracts,
respectively (Allison & Moodie, 1965). The active calcium
carbonate was measured by titration of a 0.2 N ammonium
oxalate extract (1:100 w/v) with 0.1 N KMnO4 (Allison &
Moodie, 1965). Soil particle size analysis was performed by
the Bouyoucos densimeter method, and oxidizable organic C
(Cox) was determined by the modified Walkley and Black
method (Yeomans & Bremner, 1989). The NHþ
4 -N was
measured in a 2 M KCl extract (1:10 w/v) by the indophenol
blue method (Dorich & Nelson, 1983; Keeney & Nelson,
1982), NO
in a CaSO4 extract (1:3 w/v) by
3 -N
UV-spectroscopy (Sempere et al., 1993) and total N by the
Kjeldahl method. The organic N (Norg) was calculated by
subtracting the NHþ
4 -N from the total Kjeldahl N. Available
P was determined colorimetrically by the method of Olsen
et al. (1954). The extractable concentrations of Na, K, Ca
and Mg in the soil were determined in a 1 N ammonium
acetate extract (1:10 w/v) (Knudsen et al., 1982) by flame
photometry (Na, K) or atomic absorption spectrometry (Ca,
3
Mg). The available Fe, Cu, Mn and Zn concentrations were
measured in a DTPA extract (Lindsay & Norvell, 1978) by
atomic absorption spectrometry. The CEC was determined
with BaCl2-triethanolamine (Lax et al., 1986), while Cl and
SO24 were determined by ion chromatography in a 1:20 (w/v)
water extract.
All plants of each of the treatment plots were weighed to
determine the yield, on a fresh weight basis. The dry aerial
biomass was measured after drying the aerial parts to
constant weight in a forced air oven at 60 °C. The mineral
composition of the plants was determined on dried samples
after HNO3-HClO4 digestion: P was analysed by the
colorimetric method of Kitson & Mellon (1944), Na and K
by flame photometry and Fe, Cu, Mn and Zn by atomic
absorption
spectrophotometry.
The
physicochemical
characteristics of the SMSs were determined according to the
methods described by Paredes et al. (2006). All analyses were
performed in triplicate.
Statistical analysis
Statistical analysis was conducted with SPSS v. 18.0
statistical software. For the soils, two variables were
distinguished: treatment and sampling. The significant effects
of the two variables were determined by one-way analysis of
variance (ANOVA), at the 5% significance level. The
treatment means were separated using the Tukey-b test.
Statistical comparisons of the treatment means for the lettuce
plant parameters were also performed using one-way
ANOVA, and comparison of these means was also
performed by the Tukey-b test at P < 0.05. All the soil and
plant parameters studied were then further explored with
factorial analysis (FA) to describe these correlated variables
in terms of a new set of uncorrelated variables, each of which
is a linear combination of the original variables. The new,
calculated variables are called ‘factorial components’ (Fs)
and are mutually orthogonal and not correlated. Usually, the
first few Fs, in descending order, explain the majority of the
total variance of all the original variables (Gil et al., 2008).
The FA allows the whole data set to be represented in a way
that is easy to interpret. The FA was applied to the mean
values of the three replicates of each treatment. The factor
loadings of the data were analysed after the application of
Varimax normalized rotation to the Fs coordinate system.
Loadings >|0.6| indicate significant correlations between the
original variables and the extracted components.
Results and discussion
Effect of spent mushroom substrates on soil pH and
salinity
The pH increased slightly in all soils during the season for
lettuce (Table 3). Before planting, the pH was higher in the
© 2016 British Society of Soil Science, Soil Use and Management
4 C. Paredes et al.
Table 3 Evolution of soil pH and salinity during the growing season for lettuce (dry weight basis)
pH
Cl (mg/kg)
EC (dS/m)
SO2
4 (mg/kg)
NaAV (g/kg)
Treatment
S1
S2
S1
S2
S1
S2
S1
S2
S1
S2
C
M
SMS1
SMS2
F-ANOVA
Treatment
Sampling
8.3 b
7.9 a
8.1 ab
8.3 b
8.6
8.6
8.3
8.4
0.23 a
0.51c
0.43 bc
0.30 ab
0.24
0.32
0.33
0.29
24 a
25 a
91 b
97 b
35 a
44 a
103 b
101 b
194 a
535 d
433 c
241 b
358 a
527 b
526 b
378 a
1.01 a
1.04 a
1.23 b
1.01 a
1.24 a
1.35 b
1.33 b
1.23 a
6*
2
NS
14**
3
NS
313***
191***
297***
40***
113***
12**
10**
19**
11*
70***
137***
C, control; M, mineral fertilizer; SMS1, spent mushroom substrate – Agaricus bisporus; SMS2, mixture of spent mushroom substrate – Agaricus
bisporus and spent mushroom substrate – Pleurotus, 50% (v/v) each. S1, before planting; S2, after harvesting. EC, electrical conductivity; NaAV,
available Na. *, **, ***: significant at P < 0.05, 0.01, 0.001, respectively. NS, not significant. Mean values in columns followed by the same
letter do not differ significantly (P < 0.05) between the treatments (Tukey-b test).
unamended soil (C) and in the soil amended with SMS2
than in the soil receiving mineral fertilizer (M). However, no
significant differences in the pH values were observed among
the different treatments at harvest, probably due to the
buffering effect of the calcareous soil. Paredes et al. (2005)
obtained similar results in a field experiment involving the
addition of olive mill wastewater compost to a calcareous
agricultural soil, as did Morlat & Chaussod (2008) and
Bustamante et al. (2011), in long-term experiments involving
the application of composts and manures to calcareous
vineyard soils.
Before planting, soil from treatment M had the largest EC
value. However, in general, the value of this parameter
diminished in all soils over the course of the experiment and
there were no significant changes in the salt content of the
soil solution due to the treatments at the end of experiment
(Table 3). Bustamante et al. (2011) also observed a decrease
in soil EC throughout a long-term experiment investigating
the effects of the addition of agro-industrial composts and
sheep manure to a calcareous vineyard soil. This was
probably due to nutrient uptake by the crop, ion leaching
and immobilization of inorganic nitrogen. Addition of the
SMSs significantly increased the concentration of Cl
throughout the experimental period, relative to the C and M
soils. The soils receiving treatment M or SMS1 had the
greatest SO24 and extractable Na concentrations,
respectively. In all plots, the concentrations of soluble anions
and extractable Na in the soil had increased by S2, possibly
due to the accumulation of ions from the irrigation water
used. In general, the levels of Cl, SO24 and extractable Na
were always greater in M and SMS1 soils, probably due to
the greater addition of inorganic salts containing these ions
in these treatments. The potassium salt in the mineral
fertilizer used was K2SO4, and Cl and Na+ are present as
contaminants in most mineral fertilizers. Also, the ion
contents of SMS from A. bisporus were larger than those of
© 2016 British Society of Soil Science, Soil Use and Management
the mixture of SMS-Agaricus bisporus and SMS-Pleurotus,
possibly due to the use of other materials together with
cereal straw in the elaboration of SMS-Agaricus bisporus, in
comparison with SMS-Pleurotus (Paredes et al., 2006).
Effect of spent mushroom substrates on soil agronomic
parameters
In the amended soils, the Cox concentration was larger than
in soils C and M, both before planting and after harvesting
of the lettuce plants (Table 4). The final values were 1.6 and
1.3 times greater in soils SMS1 and SMS2, respectively,
relative to the initial soil Cox concentration. Similar results
were also obtained by other authors in different studies into
the effects of SMS on soil properties. Jordan et al. (2008)
observed that the addition of SMS increased the soil organic
matter content in a pot experiment with metalliferous
tailings. An increase in soil organic carbon was also reported
by Morlat & Chaussod (2008) and Courtney et al. (2009), in
a long-term experiment with SMS in a calcareous vineyard
soil and in a field experiment with soil+bauxite residue+SMS,
respectively. The Cox concentration slightly increased over
the experimental period, in most of the soils, possibly due to
the contribution of organic compounds from root exudates
(Guerrero et al., 2001).
In general, the Norg and CEC values were greater in the
amended soils; particularly in SMS1 in the case of Norg,
which could be due to the use of manure in the preparation
of the A. bisporus substrate, as this residue has a high N
concentration (Moreno-Caselles et al., 2002) (Table 4).
Increases in the Norg and CEC values in the soil due to the
application of olive mill wastewater sludge compost were
observed also by Paredes et al. (2005). However, during
plant growth, the values of these parameters decreased in all
soils, probably as a consequence of OM mineralization, as
found also by Paredes et al. (2005).
5
Use of spent mushroom substrate as organic fertilizer
Table 4 Evolution of other soil physicochemical parameters during the growing season for lettuce (dry weight basis)
Cox (g/kg)
Norg (g/kg)
CEC (meq/100 g)
KAV (g/kg)
PAV (mg/kg)
Treatment
S1
S2
S1
S2
S1
S2
S1
S2
S1
S2
C
M
SMS1
SMS2
F-ANOVA
Treatment
Sampling
8.7 a
9.3 a
11.6 b
11.6 b
9.4a
9.1 a
13.6 c
11.7b
1.37 a
1.48 ab
1.87 c
1.57 b
1.34 a
1.28 a
1.71 b
1.41 a
10.9 a
11.6 a
18.9 b
14.1 b
10.8 a
11.7 a
13.0 b
11.9 a
0.50 a
0.78 c
0.83 d
0.73 b
0.42 a
0.46 b
0.67 d
0.63 c
49 a
77 bc
80 c
66 b
56 a
56 a
89 c
73 b
69***
101***
61***
38***
46***
45***
12**
140***
233***
329***
23***
57***
43***
47***
2NS
C, control; M, mineral fertilizer; SMS1, spent mushroom substrate –Agaricus bisporus; SMS2, mixture of spent mushroom substrate – Agaricus
bisporus and spent mushroom substrate – Pleurotus, 50% (v/v) each. S1, before planting; S2, after harvesting. Cox, oxidizable organic C; Norg,
organic N; CEC, cation exchange capacity; KAV, available K; PAV, available P. **, ***: significant at P < 0.01, 0.001, respectively. NS, not
significant. Mean values in columns followed by the same letter do not differ significantly (P < 0.05) between the treatments (Tukey-b test).
compensated for the gradual loss of mineral P through
uptake by the crop (Guerrero et al., 2001) and precipitation
(due to the high pH of calcareous soils; pH >7). Gil et al.
(2008) also observed that vineyard soils amended with
bovine manure compost had only-slight fluctuations in P
concentration over a 1-yr period.
The SMS1 soil had the largest concentrations of
extractable K and available P during the entire experimental
period, showing that this organic waste could supply more K
and P than treatment M (Table 4). At the end of the
experiment, the application of SMS had increased the soil
extractable K 1.3-fold and the soil available P 1.5- to 1.8fold, relative to their initial values, the greatest increase
being for the soil amended with SMS1. Maher (1994) and
Morlat & Chaussod (2008) also observed that the
application of SMS to soil increased the available K and P
levels, in a pot experiment with perennial ryegrass and in a
long-term experiment with various organic amendments in a
calcareous vineyard soil, respectively. In all soils, the
concentration of extractable K decreased during plant
growth, possibly as a consequence of the plant uptake.
However, no significant differences in the available P
concentration were observed during the experimental period,
in all soils. This suggests that the mineralization of organic P
Effects of the treatments on the plant yield and nutritional
composition of lettuce
There were significant differences (P < 0.05) in the lettuce
yield and in the aerial biomass dry weight values among
the treatments studied (Figure 1). The soils with treatments
M, SMS1 or SMS2 gave the largest yields, indicating the
large nutrient supply from the SMSs. However, the
aboveground biomass dry weight of plants grown in SMS
soils was less than that obtained with mineral fertilizer (M).
Ribas et al. (2009) reported similar results in an experiment
F-ANOVA = 24***
c
F-ANOVA = 31***
50
b
b
Figure 1 Comparison of the application of
spent mushroom substrate (SMS) treatments
(SMS1 – Agaricus bisporus substrate; SMS2
– an equal mixture of A. bisporus and
Pleurotus substrates) relative to control (C)
and mineral NPK fertilizer (M) treatments
on mean yield and aboveground biomass dry
weight of lettuce. Bars with the same letter
are not significantly different at P < 0.05
(Tukey-b test).
Yield (t/ha)
40
b
b
b
1.5
a
1.0
30
a
20
0.5
10
Aboveground biomass dry weight (t/ha)
2.0
60
0.0
0
C
M SMS1 SMS2
C
M SMS1 SMS2
© 2016 British Society of Soil Science, Soil Use and Management
6 C. Paredes et al.
Table 5 Comparative effects of the different treatments on the macro- and micronutrients of lettuce
Treatment
N (g/kg)
P (g/kg)
K (g/kg)
Na (g/kg)
Fe (mg/kg)
Cu (mg/kg)
Mn (mg/kg)
Zn (mg/kg)
C
M
SMS1
SMS2
F-ANOVA
34.4 a
36.5 b
38.3 c
38.2 c
153***
4.4 a
5.6 b
6.4 c
6.5 c
48***
38.2 b
39.6 b
36.6 a
36.5 a
16***
9.0
9.3
9.7
9.8
2NS
233 b
233 b
191 a
183 a
16***
11
12
13
14
3NS
43 a
50 b
48 ab
45 ab
5*
46 a
70 b
44 a
45 a
78***
C, control; M, mineral fertilizer; SMS1, spent mushroom substrate – Agaricus bisporus; SMS2, mixture of spent mushroom substrate – Agaricus
bisporus and spent mushroom substrate – Pleurotus, 50% (v/v) each. Mean values in columns followed by the same letter do not differ
significantly (P < 0.05) between the treatments (Tukey-b test). *, ***: significant at P < 0.05, 0.001, respectively. NS, not significant.
with lettuce grown on soil supplemented with SMS or
mineral fertilizer, especially when large applications of SMS
were used.
Table 5 shows that larger N and P concentrations were
found for plants from amended soils, compared with those
from treatments M and C. This indicates that the increase in
the organic matter content of the soil favoured the
assimilation of these nutrients. However, the SMS1 and
SMS2 plants showed the smallest K contents. This could be
related to the fact that the exchangeable Ca content was
greatest in the soil receiving the organic amendment, as the
greatest CEC values at the beginning of the experiment were
found in the soils amended with SMS (Table 4). Different
authors have reported a negative K-Ca interaction, meaning
that a greater tendency of a plant to accumulate one will
inhibit the accumulation of the other (Garcia et al., 1999;
Garcia-Hernandez et al., 2006).
Concentrations of Na and Cu in plants did not differ
significantly among the treatments (Table 5). Plants
cultivated in soil receiving treatment SMS1 or SMS2 had
Mn concentrations intermediate between those of the plants
grown in soil C and those of the plants grown in soil M. In
general, plants from the plots receiving mineral fertilizer
showed the largest Fe and Zn concentrations. However, the
concentrations of these elements in the plants cultivated in
amended soils were smaller than or similar to those of the
plants grown in treatment C. Decreased Fe and Zn
concentrations in plants grown in soils receiving organic
treatments were reported also by Clemente et al. (2007), in a
study of the effects of soil amendments on metal
bioavailability, indicating that increased phosphate
concentrations in the soil may reduce metal availability. In
this work, application of the SMS increased the available P
level in the soil, relative to the values in treatments M and C
(Table 4).
Although the addition of the SMSs reduced the
availability of K, Fe and Zn, the soil content of these plant
nutrients was sufficient to satisfy the lettuce growth
requirements, as the SMS amended soils gave the largest
lettuce yields, similar to that for treatment M (Figure 1).
© 2016 British Society of Soil Science, Soil Use and Management
Table 6 Loadings of the variables to the factors (F) extracted by
factorial analysis, for the soil and plant parameters studied (only
significant loadings >|0.6| are reported)
Explained variance (%)
Cumulative variance (%)
Soil Cox
Soil Cl
Lettuce N
Lettuce Fe
Soil CEC
Soil Norg
Soil PAV
Soil NaAV
Lettuce K
Lettuce P
Lettuce Zn
Lettuce Na
Soil SO2
4
Soil EC
Lettuce Mn
Lettuce ABDW
Lettuce Yield
Soil pH
Lettuce Cu
Soil KAV
F1
F2
50.5
50.5
0.979
0.970
0.899
0.888
0.883
0.863
0.840
0.834
0.833
0.818
0.752
0.625
32.4
82.9
0.942
0.927
0.888
0.886
0.874
0.872
0.785
0.757
Cox, oxidizable organic C; CEC, cation exchange capacity; Norg,
organic N; NaAV, available Na; EC, electrical conductivity; ABDW,
aerial biomass dry weight; PAV, available P; KAV, available K.
Multivariate analysis
The FA was carried out for all the soil parameters at S1 and
for the yield, aboveground biomass dry weight and
nutritional composition of lettuce (n = 20). In the model
proposed using this statistical analysis, the value obtained
for the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin measure of sampling adequacy
(KMO) was larger than 0.5 and the P-value was <0.001 in
Bartlett’s test of sphericity. In addition, none of these
variables showed an extraction value <0.5. According to
Use of spent mushroom substrate as organic fertilizer
these criteria, the model established was suitable. By
establishing two Fs, the model was able to explain 82.9% of
the variance in the original variables; F1 explained 50.5% of
the variance and F2 explained 32.4% (Table 6). The
variables that better defined F1 were the properties related
to soil organic matter and the lettuce nutrient
concentrations, all these parameters being positively
correlated except for Lettuce Fe, Lettuce K and Lettuce Zn.
This is consistent with the results obtained in the experiment,
where the use of the SMSs as organic amendments increased
the availability of plant nutrients, except for K, Fe and Zn.
The decreases in the latter nutrients were related to the
increases in soil exchangeable Ca and available P in the
amended soils. F2 was associated principally with the soil
salinity and pH and with lettuce productivity, soil pH being
correlated negatively with the other variables. This factor
(F2) showed that only soil pH affected lettuce yield, there
being no correlation between the nutrient concentrations in
the plant tissue and the plant biomass production.
Conclusions
The application of spent mushroom substrate (SMS) to a
calcareous clay-loam soil produced positive effects on soil
fertility parameters, increasing the soil organic C and N,
available P and extractable K concentrations and the cation
exchange capacity. This improvement in soil fertility was
greater with the SMS from an Agaricus bisporus crop. The
addition of the SMS did not alter the soil salinity or pH, nor
did it lead to phytotoxic effects on lettuce plants; the plant
yield and nutrient concentrations were similar to or greater
than those in the control and inorganically fertilized soils,
except in the cases of K, Fe and Zn. The decreases in the
concentrations of these nutrients in the plants when the
SMSs were added to the soil could be a consequence mainly
of the increases in soil exchangeable Ca and available P.
However, this did not reduce the lettuce yield, indicating
that the SMSs covered the nutritional requirements of the
crop.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Consellerıa de Empresa,
Universidad y Ciencia, Generalitat Valenciana (Spain) under
Grant GV05/046. The authors thank Abonos RECOMSA,
S.C.L. (Cuenca-Spain) for providing spent mushroom
substrate samples. Also, the authors thank Dr. D. Walker
for the revision of the written English.
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